March Monthly Goals

 Greetings Friends!

Its that time again for weekly wishes/monthly goals! Did you set any goals for last week/month? If so, how did they go? Are you just joining me? Let me explain what happens for Weekly Wishes..

The Happenings: You share your weekly, monthly, or yearly goals/wishes/achievements and you get to be a part of this big group of people that are doing the same thing. Yay! Wanna join in? Check out The Nectar Collective and add a link to your blog!

Hello loveies! I hope you had a great February and got many things accomplished. I'm currently at home nursing a mega head cold! Lots of meds, tea, and blanket cuddles are my current status. I'm sure I'll get over this soon enough, because I have big plans to attend to for this month! Spring is right around the corner and it always makes me feel renewed to get things done. Just this past weekend I rearranged my closet and got rid of a lot of clothes I just didn't need or want anymore. I'll be making a trip to Goodwill sometime soon! What have you been up to lately?

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Last Months Goals

Try New Foods ~ Ok, I kinda got this one done... There were epic cooking fails though in the progress though! I really really wanted to try spaghetti squash and I got this really huge one from the Farmers Market. I had bought meatballs and sauce to go with it and when I tried to cut the squash in half the knife said, "NOPE!!". I mean, I really tried with all of my might to cut that thing and it just refused to be cut! I even had The Boo try and slice it, but it was a no go. It was a good thing that I bought backup spaghetti... I also (successfully) cut some brussel sprouts in half, drizzled them with some olive oil and S & P and popped them puppies in the oven to roast. 35 mins later they were burnt to a very fine crisp!! I can laugh about it now, but at the time I was upset. Not so much at the fact that I burnt them, but that I didn't get to try them and I was very hungry. I ended up just buying dinner out that night. Ha Ha.



Designing New Site ~ Welp, I'm still in the process of getting this one done. I'm liking the direction I've got going, it's just getting around that damn learning curve when getting to know a new website and how it all works. You know where this goal is headed, right? ;o)


Hello Paleo ~ I can say wholeheartedly that I've enjoyed reading about and experimenting with the Paleo lifestyle. You can read about my experience thus far with it here! I totally plan to immerse myself more within this eating style. My body felt so much better when I wasn't eating so much bread and pasta.





March Goals


Roll Out the Site ~ I've been working hard on getting my new home on Squarespace just right and I really want to get it done this month. More like within the next couple of weeks really, because I wanted it done before now. Just some tweaking to do and then all will be well!


Change the Name ~ I've made the big decision to change the name of my business on Etsy. I'd been chewing on changing up the look, feel, & name of my business for a while now and I've finally made the choice to do it. Now that I've made that choice I need to order all new labels, stickers, post cards, etc with the new name and logo. The 1st thing on the to-do list is get business cards. By the by, did you know you could design and get 10 free sample cards from Moo.com?? You're welcome! :o)


Learn a New Stitch ~ You can't have a new business name and look without learning some new techniques on your craft now can you? I want to learn at least two new crochet stitches and practice them until I'm comfortable with them. I'm really looking forward to this task!


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So tell me dear friend, what are you excited about working on for this month. I'm ready to get started on mine and kick-butt on the new and wonderful projects I have planned!


P.S. Come back tomorrow for #WorkInProgressTuesday where you can share what projects you've been working on! Check out last weeks post here!


Ciao!

Easy to Win Giveaway!!

Salutations!

How are you? What did you do for Valentine’s Day? Did you hang out with friends or spend time with your betrothed? The Boo & I made brownies together and we went to go see 50 Shades of Grey. Fun was had by all! I think it’s important to show the people that you care about, that well.. you care about them and to put out as much good energy as you can into the world. So, even though Valentine’s Day is over and done with, this is my post-holiday gift to you!

I’m raffling off my newest product, the Comfy Cozy Office Suite! 

You’re the first to see it and now you’ll have the chance to be the first one to own it! Inside the CCOS you’ll find:

Two Pencil Grips

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Two Drink Coasters

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One Cup Beanie

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One Tablet Tote

Can you really deny how cute this is? :) I like to keep things nice and neat on my desk and I don't like my cold drinks sweating all over my paperwork. Of course the coasters are perfect for this! And I don't know anyone who doesn't drink coffee or tea while at work. The Cup Beanie keeps my drink nice and warm, not to mention protects it from gross little gnats that fly around! The pencil grips to be honest are just so dang adorable and I love having something to keep my iPad in so I can tote it around and use it on my breaks.

This set is a $50.00 value & starting today I have it available for sell on Etsy! Through ordering it in my shop, you'll be able to choose the color you would like your set to be. I can also make the Tablet Tote for the iPad, iPad mini, or Microsoft Surface!

So on to the really big question! How do you enter to win?!?! Today through Monday February 23, 2015 I am raffling off this dove gray set you have seen pictured. All you have to do through my Rafflecopter below is either Visit & Like my Facebook page, Follow me on Twitter, or Tweet about this giveaway using #sparklegiveaway!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

So what do you say? Are you ready to enter to win?!?!? Good luck!

Ciao!

My Winter Obsession

Greetings peeps!

Just like me, I hope all of you craft artisans and yarn addicts out there are having fun this busy Christmas season. :) I've gotten so many requests this year that it's hard to keep up! I love it though and I thought I would share a couple things that I've been working on.


I'm generally always working on something that I don't have for sell in my Etsy shop. I like to make it, wear it or give it to someone else to wear and then bother to take pictures and such if I feel like it would do well on Etsy. This is the case with this handkerchief scarf. I've been working on it since last year and kinda lost interest in it until now. Since it's finally done, I've been wearing it like crazy! This one is brown & creme and has a sweet big brown button closure in the back. It's nice just to have a little something there around your neck for protection. I have sold one of these and gotten a good response from it. I'm on the fence about adding it.. What say you?

This little hat, I've made a million times before and is already in the shop. You can run and see it by clicking here! I like throwing in a little criss-cross action in the middle there. It kinda of breaks up the monotony of it all and gives it more detail and we all know detail is important. :)

The motherlode of this season has been this awesome houndstooth scarf!! I like taking pictures of the beginning stages so I can look back and see how far I've come. This scarf was a custom request from a guy at work for his wife and I was very happy to do it. Most of the time when people request something custom, they typical pick out (in my opinion) the most boring and blah colors and shapes. This time for me was different! Even though black and white could be considered boring, I don't think it was in this case because it was houndstooth. I'm a fan from way back of houndstooth so I was totally geeked at trying a new stitch AND being able to add tassels!! #swoon.

With me being a fan of houndstooth and it being very trendy right now, I think I'm going to make another scarf (with tassels of course) for Etsy and make one for me in black and red. It's gonna be awesome people. Simply awesome.

So all you Etisans, artisans, and crafters alike, what are you working on right now? Did you like the customs orders that you've made?

Ciao!

Holiday Shopping Fun

Greetings!

It’s Thanksgiving week here in The States and I’m excited about all the super mega sales that are about to hit for Black Friday & Cyber Monday! I know it sounds crazy, but I like getting out and being in the crowds. I love the atmosphere, all the warm and bright decorations, and all the jazzy new items on sale. I don’t necessarily like buying anything, because lines are waaaaaaaay to long. It’s just the good vibes that are nice to be around while you’re out. Before you could just buy everything you ever wanted in life on the internet, I did of course do shopping in the store. More often than not though, I would end up with more things for myself than for other people.....  Merry Christmas to me! haha..

Speaking of shopping for holiday gifts, lucky you, you get to take advantage of the sales that I’m having! For both Black Friday and Cyber Monday, I’m giving 30% off all scarves when you use coupon code SPARKLE30!! AND if you buy multiple items, I’ll throw in a free surprise gift!!

If you Click Here it will take you to my Etsy shop and you can see all the lovely and colorful scarves I have available. In the meantime here are few showcase items!

 

To see more pictures, get more info, and purchase Click Here!

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To see more pictures, get for info, and purchase Click Here!


So friends, check out my shop to see what calls to you and come on back this Friday through next Monday to take advantage of this great discount!!! Happy shopping.. :)

Ciao!

Purple Crochet Goodness

Salutations!

So, a while back now I got a little crochet happy and banged out like 5 headbands. I'm happy to say that I'm finally sharing them with the world and posting them to my Etsy shop! Today, I'm excited to share the first one here with you!

I took a poll on Facebook and asked what color I should make a headband in and someone suggested purple. So Ta-Da! The newest Sparkle Baby to the family is this purple turban headband! I must admit that I love it. I can’t really get down with wearing a turban. It really just reminds me of little old ladies at the grocery store wearing those pleated ones with their fur coat and comfortable orthopedic shoes one. #Ijustcan’t

The compromise is the headband. You can still be stylish without the granny connotation! Can’t beat that, right? The best thing to me about a headband instead of a hat/turban is that you can wear your hair in a ponytail or down. I’ll be sporting my own headband here soon, since it’s suddenly jumped to winter!?! Just two weeks ago we were in the lower 60’s.... Now it’s a high of the 40’s. Le sigh..

Instead of just doing a plain double crochet stitch, I try to add a little personality to all of my Sparkle Babies. On this one, I thought the crisscross texture would be a nice touch!  

When you order one you can choose large or small and can customize it by choosing your favorite color. If you don't see a color you want, then just let me know and we can make it happen capt'n! If you're ready to be street chic, then you can order one by clicking here and it will take you to my Etsy shop! 


Have a great day! :)

Ciao! 

October Goals & Stuff!



Greetings!

I thought I would do something different for Weekly Wishes and start out with monthly goals! It’s been a total minute since I’ve done any Wishes and so, let’s wipe the slate clean and start anew with things to accomplish this month and then start back in to Weekly Wishes.  Just like in the Spring, I feel a need to start things fresh in the Fall. Maybe fresh isn’t the right word? I think I mean more so restore. For me it’s a time to restore balance into my life and daily routines.  Let’s make some monthly goals!


Wanna join in? Check out The Nectar Collective and add a link to your blog!

1.      Clean out my closet and bookshelf ~ I just feel like I have too much stuff and need to purge. There are plenty of clothes that I don’t want or can’t fit that just need to go to Goodwill. (I just can’t bare to throw them away and who has time to wait for stuff to sell on eBay?) As far as books go, my shelves are overflowing and I don’t like it. I’m that person that believes that everything has a place and it should go in it. (Ideally anyway.. ha!) So time to let go of some books.

2.  Find yummy scrumdiddlyumptious recipes and then actually cook them ~ I haven’t cooked on a consistent basis in a while now (Oh, the horror!) and now I feel like it’s time to get back at it. I really want to cook twice a week and then eat out maybe just on the weekends. How often do you cook?

3.  Do some Major Etsy Maintenance ~ I want to add at least 4 new items to the shop, get my EtsyFu going, and retake some pictures on a couple of items. I also have a new project to start on and finish by January. So it’s time to get cracking!

4.   Go to a Coding Meetup ~ Classes are now done and it’s time for the next big step in my training. I’ve joined a Ruby on Rails group with only women and I think it’ll be a nice change and a refreshing experience to kinda go at my own pace. From the reviews I’ve seen, new members really like going and people are friendly. I just gotta be brave and get on out there and go! Wish me luck!

Well now, I have one goal for each week this month. I think that should suffice! J What have you been up to? What are your goals for this month or week? I’d really like to know… Hope everyone has a great week!

Ciao!

Weekly Wishes #20

Salutations All!

 

Its that time again for weekly wishes! Did you set any goals for last week? If so, how did they go? Are you just joining me? Let me explain what happens for Weekly Wishes..

The Happenings: You share your weekly, monthly, or yearly goals/wishes/achievements and you get to be a part of this big group of people that are doing the same thing. Yay! Wanna join in? Check out The Nectar Collective and add a link to your blog!

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Happy Labor Day to all of us in the US. I for one am grateful for the additional day off from work. I used to hate working on Labor Day, because it defeated the purpose of even having a Labor Day to celebrate. I digress though.. lol. I'll be taking this time to take advantage of all the free time I have to clean house and crochet. What are you planning to do today?

Last week was pretty busy for me, so no posts got written. Let's talk about the past couples of weeks wishes, shall we?

Last Weeks Wishes

* Better Attitude towards class - I did better this time around than I did before. We are now into building our own projects and that's rather exciting. Only 3 more weeks left and then I'm on my own for good or worse.

* Crochet! Crochet! Crochet! - I did work on a few more projects and I'm starting a new one right now. I'm not following a pattern and I'm just kind of winging it, because I'm making something for myself that's experimental. I'm excited to see the results when I'm done. I'll take pictures of course. :)

* Clean Up My Etsy Shop - I didn't really get to clean it up like I wanted to. I did take away a few things, and I've taken pix of new products to list. Now it's just listing them and doing promo.

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This Weeks Wishes

* Promote Etsy Shop - I've done a little bit so far, but now I want to go full swing. I need to re-activate my EtsyFu. If you are a seller and like to promote on Twitter then using EtsyFu is an awesome tool to use. It will tweet all of your shop or just certain sections for your shop for you and will spread out the tweets anywhere from one hour to eight hours between each tweet. I love it! Takes all the manual labor out of promoting things yourself.

* Write My Own Code - This is a very ambitious task. In class we are doing group projects and so I may or may not have to write any code, but I think I'd like to try my hand at it. I may succeed at it or I may not. The point is, that I will have tried.

Those mosdef are enough for this week! I also kinda have a secret project of sorts going on too.  More about that much later though. :) Here's hoping you have a great week!

Ciao!

The Sunday Short

Salutations Friends!

It's early Sunday morning (yes the clock says 6:42 am) and I have no clue as to why I'm up so early. You would think that your body knows it's the weekend and therefore would say, 'Okay everyone. Let's make sure we take advantage of sleeping in today.' Since me and my organs are up, we figured why not say good morning, so....
 

Good morning dear friend! How are you?

 

 

Let's see now.. Today shall consist of warm delicious tea being sipped and enjoyed slowly, writing some more blog posts, editing pictures for Etsy (which hopefully won't take forever and a day!), and of course working on a new crochet project which I am highly excited about!! #Canwesaysupergeeked It will be both functional and aesthetically pleasing to look at. :)
 

What is your day looking like?

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In the meantime, I thought I'd share a few things..


* I'm getting really big into men's wear for some reason and guys get to wear the best socks! I like these here and here.


* Go ahead and tell them how you really feel here!


* If you like fashion then you'll get addicted to This Show!


* The silly reason you can't wear white after Labor day..


 * Get a dose of inspiration & love here. :)


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Happy Sunday and have a great Labor Day!

Ciao!



Weekly Wishes #19!!

Salutations All!

Its that time again for weekly wishes! Did you set any goals for last week? If so, how did they go? Are you just joining me? Let me explain what happens for Weekly Wishes..

The Happenings: You share your weekly, monthly, or yearly goals/wishes/achievements and you get to be a part of this big group of people that are doing the same thing. Yay! Wanna join in? Check out The Nectar Collective and add a link to your blog!

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Hey Hey Now! I do so hope that everyone accomplished their goals for last week. It looks like I'm becoming a Weekly Wisher on Tuesday instead of Monday... That will change as soon as my class is over over over!! Which thankfully will be mid-September! Yay! After I finish my coding class I'll be doing some graphic design training online and at my own pace. Accelerated programs are not for the faint hearted. In between class and studying, I've been crocheting my little heart out and loving it. I want to be fully prepared and ready for this upcoming Fall. The weather is already cooling down quite a bit here in Atlanta, which is very unusual but I'll roll with it. It's better for business.. Ha! So let's talk about what happened last week..

Last Weeks Wishes

* Better Attitude towards class - er.... If anything it got worse!! I keep thinking about how lost I feel and how I'm not understanding what's going on. At this point my mind just has a wall up and it's not allowing any new information in. I'm just ready for it to be over basically.

* Meditate - I knocked this on out of the park! I love to meditate. I didn't get a chance to meditate everyday, like I wanted to, but the fact that I got some in is good enough for me. :)

* Plan Etsy Stuff - As I mentioned above, I've been crocheting my ass off mainly over the weekend and I've made some plans about what I want to add for the season. I'll have quite a few headbands (like pictured above) available as well as cup/mug accessories. #I'mgeeked!

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This Weeks Wishes

* Better Attitude - I'm gonna keep this one on the list. I just must simply have patience and get over this mental block. I have no choice but to succeed!

* Crochet! Crochet! Crochet! - This won't be hard at all!! I'm in such a crochet mood right now it's all I want to do with my free time. I may even start back to taking my supplies to work and crocheting on my breaks. We shall see.

* Clean Up My Etsy Shop - I want to take away some listings as well as decide on which ones will be on sale. Maybe a pre-Fall sale? A give away? I dunno. I'll think of something.

I think this is definitely enough for now. What have you been up to and trying to get done? Good luck on your wishes this week!

Ciao!